Friday Sisterhood with Patty Smith Hall

Family Status:  My husband and I just celebrated my 31st wedding anniversary June 17th! We have two daughters—one who works in the medical profession and who is getting married next year, and our youngest who is a junior in college.

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: McDonald’s Sweet Tea with two lemons

What Is Your Favorite Food: Bread—I love just about any kind of bread!

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: I’m big into reading, walking the parks around my house, visiting with family and friends.

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life:  That’s a hard question! My parents, obviously, but my maternal grandmother too. I’m like her in many ways and seeing that, she was able to guide me through some life-changing decisions.


First Book You Fell in Love With: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read this book every year from the time I was in 3rd grade until I graduated from college-I wanted to be like Beth(without dying, of course!)

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. To write that beautifully is truly a gift!

First Book Published: Hearts in Flight, July, 2011 

Most Recent Book: Hearts Rekindled, Feb, 2014

Out Next: Winning the Sheriff’s Heart hasn’t been assigned a release date.

How Many Have You Written:  6 total; four published, one looking for a publishing house; one I’m self-publishing. 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: The business side of publishing—it’s important for every aspiring author to have a good handle on contracts, royalty statements and marketing.


What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The story of Paul—as a person who struggles with pain on a daily basis, his ministry while dealing with a ‘thorn in his side’ has special meaning for me. 

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:28(which is also my life verse.)

What is Your Favorite Hymn: Another hard question! Because I love them all!

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: That the Lord would work in our girls' lives as well as our future son-in-law’s life.

Friday Sisterhood with Vickie Mcdonough

Family Status: Married, four grown sons, but two still live at home 

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Coke

What Is Your Favorite Food: Just one? Being honest--French silk pie

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: Read

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: My dad

First Book You Fell in Love With: A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

First Book Published: My first published work was a novella in a collection called A Stitch in Time. First actual book was Sooner or Later. 

Most Recent Book: Call of the Prairie, book 2 in my Pioneer Promises series

Out Next: Song of the Prairie, book 3 in my Pioneer Promises series

How Many Have You Written: 34 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: The skills of writing

What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The story of Jesus

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Jeremiah 29:11

What is Your Favorite Hymn: He Lives 

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: That my sons who are not walking with God would turn back to Him

Friday Sisterhood with Deb Kastner

Family Status: I’ve been blessed to be married for 27 years with 3 grown daughters and 2 adorable grandchildren.

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Plain black dark-roast coffee—and the occasional Mountain Dew. Had to cut out that soda habit.

What Is Your Favorite Food: Mexican

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: What is free time? There is no such thing in my life. On the rare times I’m able to do something for myself I enjoy going on dates with hubby Joe to dinner theater see a musical.

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: After Jesus, my husband Joe. He’s been there through all my highs and lows.

First Book You Fell in Love With: The whole Chronicles of Narnia series. I got them as a set one Christmas and read them all straight through. I also remember my first Harlequin book. I think I was about twelve and was on vacation to a very small town in Oregon where my relatives live. There was a small circular rack of books in the drugstore. I picked out a Harlequin Historical called Sophie and the Prince, which was set in Russia. It was the beginning of my journey into a love of romance novels.

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

First Book Published: Beloved from Multnomah Palisades was my very first book published. My first book for Love Inspired was A Holiday Prayer, which received a 4 ½ star Top Pick from Romantic Times magazine.

Most Recent Book: Her Valentine Sheriff was a February release for Love Inspired.

Out Next: Redeeming the Rancher in July.

How Many Have You Written: 27 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: To enjoy the process of writing and the joy that comes with it. While I’m incredibly blessed to be writing for Harlequin, writing on deadline is not always fun. I sometimes look back to my prepublished days with a bit of nostalgia, simply writing for writing’s sake.

 What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The Last Supper

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Psalm 37:4&5

What is Your Favorite Hymn: I’m a long-time member of the church choir. Music is such an integral part of my life that I simply can’t pick one song. I love the old hymns like, “How Great Thou Art” and newer ones such as, “In the Breaking of the Bread,” plus a lot of newer praise and worship music.

Granny and Anthony

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: For the Lord’s protective covering over me and my family and that my words would be honoring to God and edifying to others. 

10 Hunks a Strutting!

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten hunks a strutting,
Nine gals a shopping,
Eight women a-laughing,
Seven flags a waving,
Six teens a-texting,
Five loaded iPods,
Four kissing frogs,
Three chocolate bars,
Two sparkling gems,
And a flamingo in a tutu.

It's my turn! It's my turn! And I luv that I got the Ten hunks a strutting!
After all, I am one of the Craftie Ladies of Romance.
What woman isn't fascinated by the experience of falling in love?

Now I could have done a listing of all the "dishy" guys now popular in Hollywood.
But I don't know if it's Hollywood or me, but many of the "latest hunks" look like they should still be in Junior High (Now you know the truth--it's me. Junior High no longer exists.)

Anyway, I can't get excited about a guy who shaves once a week whether he needs it or not.

So I'm going to do a little remembering of some of my favorite heroes in romance.
Perhaps you'll recognize a few:
How about one of Georgette Heyer's memorable heroes:
Miles Caverleigh in THE BLACK SHEEP who abducts the heroine when she doesn't want to upset her family by marrying a black sheep. (Horrors what will the neighbors say?)

How about Michael in Francine Rivers' REDEEMING LOVE who pursues Angel the prostitute even as she rejects him over and over?

Or how about the sailor who falls in love with Elizabeth Lane (who can't cook ) in Christmas in Connecticut?

In my own books, I have a special place in my heart for my hero in my Love Inspired Suspense DANGEROUS GAME, Grey Lawson, who just returned from 7 years in prison.

And my latest, hero Matt Ritter, former Union Captain, who isn't happy to have my heroine arrive to teach freed slaves in the Freedman's School in VA before the school is built. (Her Captain's Heart Love Inspired Historical this month).

Now that's only 5 hunks a strutting. I would include my husband who I always call my real life hero. But he never struts. GRIN

So I'll let you tell me about the 5 you think should be on this list? Who are your favorite hunks or heroes?

Anyway, I love this version of the 12 Days of Christmas. What fun!
Merry Christmas!
Lyn Cote



After all, I am one of the Craftie Ladies of Romance.
What woman isn't fascinated by the experience of falling in love?

Now I could have done a listing of all the "dishy" guys now popular in Hollywood.
But I don't know if it's Hollywood or me, but many of the "latest hunks" look like they should still be in Junior High (Now you know the truth--it's me. Junior High no longer exists.)

Anyway, I can't get excited about a guy who shaves once a week whether he needs it or not.

So I'm going to do a little remembering of some of my favorite heroes in romance.
Perhaps you'll recognize a few:
How about one of Georgette Heyer's memorable heroes:
Miles Caverleigh in THE BLACK SHEEP who abducts the heroine when she doesn't want to upset her family by marrying a black sheep. (Horrors what will the neighbors say?)

How about Michael in Francine Rivers' REDEEMING LOVE who pursues Angel the prostitute even as she rejects him over and over?

Or how about the sailor who falls in love with Elizabeth Lane (who can't cook ) in Christmas in Connecticut?

In my own books, I have a special place in my heart for my hero in my Love Inspired Suspense DANGEROUS GAME, Grey Lawson, who just returned from 7 years in prison.

And my latest, hero Matt Ritter, former Union Captain, who isn't happy to have my heroine arrive to teach freed slaves in the Freedman's School in VA before the school is built. (Her Captain's Heart Love Inspired Historical this month).

Now that's only 5 hunks a strutting. I would include my husband who I always call my real life hero. But he never struts. GRIN

So I'll let you tell me about the 5 you think should be on this list? Who are your favorite hunks or heroes?

Anyway, I love this version of the 12 Days of Christmas. What fun!